


A Change Of Heart

by InArlathan



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Admission of love, Eventual Romance, F/M, One Shot, Pre-Relationship, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:14:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21514384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InArlathan/pseuds/InArlathan
Summary: After the tragic death of his friend, Solas returns to Skyhold. Trying to focus on what lies ahead, the young man named Cole can't help but notice Solas's distress – and his strange feelings for Inquisitor Lavellan.
Relationships: Female Lavellan/Solas, Fen'Harel | Solas/Female Lavellan, Lavellan & Solas
Comments: 6
Kudos: 24





	A Change Of Heart

**Author's Note:**

> My muse is obsessing over Solavellan again today. She pestered me with the idea of this little story until I sat down and wrote it. So, here is to Cole nagging Solas about his feelings for Lavellan. I hope you enjoy this! <3

The odor of paint pervades the air. Solas inhales it, deeply, seeking comfort in the familiar smell. Drawing on the primordial energy of the Fade, he reshapes the substance, directing it towards the bare stone walls of the Skyhold’s rotunda.

While he paints, his mind wanders off. The memory of the mages binding his spirit friend into obedience unfolds before him and the pain of her death hurts as much as it did before.

 _One more life that is lost,_ he thinks bitterly, remembering countless encounters with his friend in the Fade. She had shared her knowledge with him, offering him comfort even in the darkest of times. Being with her had reminded him of the loved ones he had lost when Arlathan fell. As long as she was with him, he could endure, planning to set things right.

But now…

Now, he is the last remnant of the past. There is no one left to talk to, no one to share his grievance with...

... except for Lavellan.

 _“You don’t have to do this alone,”_ he hears her say, another memory that won’t leave him.

The thought of her hurts, too, and he tries to push the pain away. He can not allow Lavellan to hold a place in his heart.

There is fluctuation in the Fade, like waves rippling on top of a lake. Solas lets his hands drop, cutting off his connection to magic. A moment later, the young man who calls himself Cole sits on top of the desk Solas uses for his studies.

“You’re hurting,” the young man tells him before he can greet him. “I could feel from my place on the battlements. It’s a different pain than before, brighter, burning, trying to break you apart. I wanted to see if I can help.”

Solas swallows and looks at Cole. He should have known that the young man would look into his feelings and find the truth he tried to hide from this world, from himself. 

“I don’t know what you are talking about.“

“You didn’t notice?” Cole asks, uncertain if he should say more, but then the expression on his face shifts, displaying a sudden understanding. “Oh, no, _you did_ but you are in denial, defending yourself against the implications. Her lips, brushing against yours, softly, soothing, searching for more.“

“Cole, please stop, this is not ...,” Solas urges, but the spirit doesn’t hear him.

“You want her to keep going but you won’t allow it. How can she startle you like this, in the Fade, where everything is calm and comforting? Then she turns away and the distance between you feels like an abyss, tearing you apart. You reach out to her, sealing her lips with yours... _‘This kiss was impulse and ill-considered, and I should not have encouraged it’_ . But why? Your love is blind, bold, bleeding into your being. You can not separate from it because it _is you_.“

“Cole!” Solas exclaims. “Leave it be!”

The young man blushes. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I go too far?”

Solas sighs deeply, feeling sorry for being so hard on Cole. “No, it is I who has gone too far. I apologize. This burden is mine to bear, and mine alone. You should not concern yourself with my problems.”

“But you’re hurt!” Cole says. “I want to help!”

“I know,” Solas answers with a soft smile. “Yet, this is not a pain you can heal. I can only do that myself.”

“If you say so,” Cole replies, his voice dripping with regret.

Solas reaches out to the young man, placing one hand on his shoulder, squeezing it. “I appreciate your effort, Cole,” he says, “but your help is needed elsewhere.”

“I will go now, then.”

“Please.”

“Will you call on me for help… if I can help?”

Solas considers the offer for a moment, then nods slightly. “I will. I promise.“

In the blink of an eye, the young man is gone, only a shadow of his presence lingering in the Fade. Solas sighs once more, rubbing his eyes and forehead with one hand.

How could this go out of hand so quickly?

He turns around to look at his mural. With his arms crossed before his chest, he regards the painting, trying to figure out how to continue.

Sometime later, he hears someone approaching. He knows that it’s her in a heartbeat, recognizing her by the way she walks and the faint aura she leaves in the Fade.

“Solas,” she greets him. Her eyes glimmer with excitement. If he could capture her beauty, her boldness, her bravery. Yet, he knows that no mural, no matter how well-crafted, will ever do her justice. All he can do is to stand by her side and bear witness to her accomplishments. 

At that moment, he realizes that Cole was right. There is no use in denying what he feels. He can never change his feelings for her simply by wishing. His love for her will continue to grow, no matter how hard he tries to pretend it is otherwise.

“Inquisitor,” he says, surprised by the vulnerability in his own voice. “I… Do you have a moment?”


End file.
